About Breast Cancer

What is Breast Cancer?

Breast Cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the breast. It is considered a heterogeneous disease, meaning that it is a different disease in different women, a different disease in different age groups and has different cell populations within the tumor itself. Generally, breast cancer is a much more aggressive disease in younger women.

Women in the United States get breast cancer more than any other type of cancer except for skin cancer. It is second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer death in women.

African American women have the highest mortality rate from invasive breast cancer followed by Hispanic Women.

This year it is estimated that 62, 280 women with new cases of carcinoma in situ, the earliest form of breast cancer will be diagnosed this year and over 192, 370 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in  women. Sadly,  40,170 will die.

Breast cancer is not exclusively a disease of women,

Approximately 2,000 Men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 450 will die each year. The evaluation of men with breast masses is similar to that in women, including mammography.

When caught early, odds of survival are as high as 98% and with advances in EARLY treatment mortality rates decrease annually 2.3%.